The Australia Council for the Arts has recognised the outstanding contributions made by visual artist Fiona Foley and curator Julie Ewington by awarding them the 2013 Visual Arts Awards.
The Australia Council and members of the visual arts community will celebrate the achievements of both women at a ceremony at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Wednesday, 26 March.
“Both women have made substantial contributions to the visual arts sector for many years and have inspired other artists and arts professionals both here and overseas, which makes them deserving recipients of this award,” said Australia Council Chief Executive Officer Tony Grybowski.
Australia Council Visual Arts Sector Strategy Panel Chair Doctor Danie Mellor said the assessment panel was excited to select Fiona and Julie as the 2013 recipients.
“Both women have each contributed so much over the course of their careers: Fiona’s work is both thought-provoking and confronting and she is a well-regarded speaker, writer and curator. Julie has curated so many important exhibitions, including ‘Contemporary Australia: Women’ in 2012 at QAGOMA and has written and spoken extensively on Australian and Asian art over a number of years,” Dr Mellor said.
“Fiona’s paintings, installations and photographs explore questions of history, identity and personal signification.
“Her work examines issues of Indigenous identity on a regional, national and international level and challenges historical stereotypes and encourages debate between artists and communities in Australia and overseas.
“Fiona has always been a champion of Indigenous art, and in 1987 she co-founded the Boomali Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in Sydney when she was in her early 20s, along with many other early career artists who have since gone on to play important roles in the arts.”
Dr Mellor said Julie Ewington was a respected curator and had become a specialist in contemporary Australian and Southeast Asian art during a career that has spanned almost 40 years.
“Julie has played an important role in turning the Queensland Art Gallery into the leading Australian gallery it is today, attracting some of the world’s most prestigious exhibitions and influential artists,” Dr Mellor said.
“In addition to holding the significant positions of curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney and the Canberra School of Art Gallery, she also shares her considerable knowledge with artists, having taught art history at several Australian universities. She was also the Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research at the Australian National University from 1999 to 2000.”
As part of the awards the Australia Council commissions an artist to create commemorative brooches for each recipient, this year designed by Sydney jeweller and artist Emma Fielden.
The Visual Arts Awards acknowledge and honour the exceptional achievements of an Australian artist and an Arts professional who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of Australian art.
A celebration will be held on 26 March at the Brisbane Powerhouse.
